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Rothesay's seafront terraces rising above the bay.
Argyll and Bute

Rothesay Town

Bute's Victorian resort town on a wide bay, with a moated castle, a royal charter of 1401 and celebrated toilets on the pier.

Welcome

Rothesay is the main town of Bute and one of the grand old Victorian resorts of the Firth of Clyde, a curve of tall sandstone terraces and villas round a wide bay, reached by a ferry of thirty-five minutes from Wemyss Bay.

It is an old royal burgh, given its charter by Robert III in 1401, and in the middle of the town stands its round, moated castle, with origins in the early 1200s.

Its great days came with the steamers. By the late 1800s its pier was the second busiest on the Clyde, and in 1913, the peak year, as many as a hundred steamers a day called here. From that era come the Winter Gardens on the seafront, now home to the Discovery Centre, and the town's most famous curiosity, the ornate Victorian toilets on the pier, said to be the only toilets in Scotland with their own visitor leaflet. The town has had quieter years since and has been reviving. The palm-lined promenade is still a good walk.

Round the cornerMusickerA vegetarian café on Rothesay's High Street, opened in 2002 for good coffee and good music.1 min by roadSee itThe white shopfront of Musicker on Rothesay's High Street, its name on a green sign above the windows.
Before you go

The ferry from Wemyss Bay takes about 35 minutes and lands in the middle of the town.

Ferry
Wemyss Bay to Rothesay, about 35 minutes.
Sights
The castle, the Winter Gardens, the Victorian toilets.
Where it is

The east coast of Bute.

Close byIn Rothesay.
  1. The castle walls reflected in the moat.Rothesay CastleThe round, moated castle of the Stewarts in the middle of Rothesay, with Scotland's only circular curtain wall.Under a mile1 min by road
  2. Display cases of birds and finds in Bute Museum's hall.Bute MuseumThe island's own museum on Stuart Street in Rothesay, by the castle, with the archaeology, history and wildlife of Bute.Under a mile1 min by road
  3. The front of Ambience on Victoria Street, Rothesay, under its blue awning.Ambience CaféA café and restaurant on Victoria Street in Rothesay, known for its fresh breads, cinnamon buns and focaccia.Under a mile2 min by road
  4. The Kettledrum café on its corner in Rothesay, a red shopfront with CAFE in white letters above the door.Kettledrum CaféA family-run café and bistro on East Princes Street in Rothesay, for fish and chips, pies and early dinners.Under a mile1 min by road
  5. The roofless gable of St Mary's Chapel among the graves.St Mary’s ChapelThe roofless chancel of Rothesay's medieval church, with the canopied tombs of a Stewart knight and an unknown lady.Under a mile2 min by road
Directions
The white shopfront of Musicker on Rothesay's High Street, its name on a green sign above the windows.CafeMusicker0.2 miles
Rothesay Castle's round walls behind its moat.AttractionsIsle of Bute2.3 miles
Mount Stuart's red sandstone front across the lawns.AttractionsMount Stuart4.0 miles
The wide sands of Ettrick Bay at low tide.AttractionsEttrick Bay4.9 miles
The low brick café at Ettrick Bay on a sunny day, with blue pillars and doors, benches and parasols along the front.CafeEttrick Bay Café4.9 miles
Scalpsie Bay's sand and the green fields behind, from above.AttractionsScalpsie Bay5.9 miles
A bus on the shore road round the wide sandy bay, the village beyond.AttractionsKilchattan Bay8.1 miles
The ruins of St Blane's under a blue sky.AttractionsSt Blane's Chapel9.0 miles
Viking longboat beside the Battle of Largs 1263 monument signAttractionsVikingar, Largs13 miles
Stay nearby

Places to stay near the town, and when each is next free.

A white harled house with crow-stepped gables catches the sunset glow above a loch, yellow flowering shrubs in the foreground.Glenstriven House
  • To stay
  • In Argyll and Bute
  • 8 miles from Rothesay
Free 25–27 OctThe Hollies, Argyll and ButeThe Hollies
  • Sleeps 18
  • In Argyll and Bute
  • 9 miles from Rothesay
Check datesPlaces to stayEvery stay in Argyll and ButeAll our places to stay nearby, to search by date and by who is coming.See them all
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Every photograph commissioned, every word written by somebody who went. Printed twice a year, made in Scotland.

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Find out more

For further reading, before you go.